What is GIS?

The Power of Mapping

A geographic information system (GIS) lets us visualize, question, analyze, and interpret data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends.

GIS benefits organizations of all sizes and in almost every industry. There is a growing interest in and awareness of the economic and strategic value of GIS.

Cost Savings from Greater Efficiency

GIS is widely used to optimize maintenance schedules and daily fleet movements.
Typical implementations can result in a savings of 10 to 30 percent in operational expenses through reduction in fuel use and
staff time, improved customer service, and more efficient scheduling.

GIS helped the City of Woodland refine its fleet scheduling, saving fuel and labor. Read more

Better Decision Making

GIS is the go-to technology for making better decisions about location. Common examples include real estate site selection, route/corridor selection, evacuation planning, conservation, natural resource extraction, etc. Making correct decisions about location is critical to the success of an organization.

This GIS-based disaster decision support system helps Taiwan plan for and respond to typhoons. Read more

Improved Communication

GIS-based maps and visualizations greatly assist in understanding situations and in storytelling. They are a type of language that improves communication between different teams, departments, disciplines, professional fields, organizations, and the public. Michels Corporation improved collaboration and communication with GIS. Read more

Better Record Keeping

Many organizations have a primary responsibility of maintaining authoritative records about the status and change of geography. GIS provides a strong framework for managing these types of records with full transaction support and reporting tools. ROI on Montana's GIS-based statewide cadastral system is more than $9 million annually. Read more

Managing Geographically

GIS is becoming essential to understanding what is happening and what will happen in geographic space. Once we understand, we can prescribe action. This new approach to management—managing geographically—is transforming the way organizations operate. Kuwait University used GIS to design and build a multibillion-dollar expansion. Read more